Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Acquires 23,326 Shares of Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• Motley Fool Asset Management increased its Moderna stake by 347.1% in the third quarter, acquiring 23,326 additional shares for a total holding of 30,047 shares valued at approximately $5.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.33% of Moderna.
• Moderna and Merck’s individualized mRNA melanoma vaccine delivered positive Phase 3 results, reducing disease recurrence and distant metastasis, though investors remain focused on commercial uptake, cash use and the company’s path to profitability.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Moderna has a consensus “Hold” rating with a $107.10 average price target, while William Blair downgraded the stock on valuation concerns after its sharp rally. Company insiders have also sold nearly $33.9 million of shares over the past 90 days.

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 347.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,047 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,326 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in Moderna were worth $5,786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Merck & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $161,642,545. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at about $899,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at about $119,168,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 1,387.6% in the 2nd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,696,000 after acquiring an additional 22,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in shares of Moderna by 2,042.6% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 72,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,722,000 after acquiring an additional 69,203 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 3 data presented at ESMO 2026 showed that Moderna and Merck’s individualized mRNA melanoma vaccine, used with KEYTRUDA, significantly reduced disease recurrence and distant metastasis. The results were also accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, providing additional peer-reviewed validation. Moderna Gets Phase 3 Melanoma Vaccine Validation
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Stéphane Bancel said the cancer-vaccine data should improve as follow-up continues and argued that Moderna’s mRNA technology, manufacturing capabilities and personalized approach create a competitive advantage that rivals cannot easily replicate. He also expressed confidence that the platform could work beyond melanoma. Moderna CEO Defends Cancer Vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are now looking beyond the clinical results to Moderna’s upcoming financial performance. Analysts broadly view the science favorably, but third-quarter revenue, cash use and the company’s path back to profitability remain key tests. Moderna ESMO Answered the Science
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair downgraded MRNA from Outperform to Market Perform, citing valuation after the stock’s very large rally. The call suggests that much of the cancer-vaccine opportunity may already be reflected in the share price, limiting near-term upside even if the clinical program succeeds. William Blair Downgrades Moderna on Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: The melanoma results, while clinically positive, reportedly fell short of some investors’ expectations, creating uncertainty about commercial uptake and contributing to volatility. Moderna also remains loss-making, with analysts expecting a full-year loss.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 39,145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.72, for a total value of $8,640,084.40. Following the transaction, the president owned 1,636,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $361,222,626.80. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 197,251 shares of company stock worth $33,875,904 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRNA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $230.00 price objective (up from $167.00) on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday. Brookline Capital Markets reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, August 28th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of Moderna from $45.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moderna has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.10.

Moderna Price Performance

NASDAQ MRNA opened at $214.16 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $179.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.64. Moderna, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.28 and a 52-week high of $254.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.29. The stock has a market cap of $85.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.80 and a beta of 1.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The business's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.13) earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moderna Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company's research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.

Moderna's commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.

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